


Livin' like a good boy oughta

by slinkydoodle



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Cannibalism, Illustrated, Like, M/M, and blacks out, arcade is too pretty 4 me hgnnn, benny does not survive btw, he has an intelligence of 1, he isnt really a major character but w/e, i havent written anything in a while haha, its not detailed though rat just gets hungry, low intelligence courier, ok, sorry if this sucks lmao, sorry rat i did you dirty :///, thats the character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 01:19:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18436064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slinkydoodle/pseuds/slinkydoodle
Summary: Rat finds a gorgeous man and drags him along under the guise of getting help for his 'brain problems'---title is from take your mama by scissor sisters





	1. Fuck you, let's go to Vegas

Rat sighed heavily, wiping the sweat from his brow with a grimace. He, Boone, and ED-E had been walking since 4 that morning. The fact that neither of them talked that much did not make the journey any easier. He was so close to finding that checkered-suit motherfucker that he could almost  _ taste  _ it. He called ED-E over, as his wares began to grow heavy once more.

 

ED-E chirped softly, hovering lower so that he was eye level with Rat.

 

“Can you carry some more stuff for me?”

 

He chirped once more, a small compartment popping open. Rat emptied his entire stock of ammo into the compartment (Not that he used it), as well as the few guns he did have (He didn’t use those either). It wasn’t much, but Rat felt much lighter and more fit to carry on now that he didn’t have all that useless metal in his bag. He sighed, tossed his head back, and let out a scream which even startled Boone. Rat found himself doing things like that a lot after he’d been shot. He just got strong urges to shout, or to kill something. Mostly, it scared people away. On occasion, it would draw them near. A blessing and a curse.

 

Rat looked over at Boone and gave him a shrug, as if to say ‘sorry, I don’t know what that was’, and continued on. Their pace was slow and tortuous in the Mojave’s gleaming sun, and Rat briefly entertained the thought of stripping off his armor, even though it was pretty much a death sentence. At the very least he would die comfortably, right? A hot wind blew harshly and dust swam upwards, clinging to the courier’s sweaty face. Rat looked at the map on his Pipboy, and saw they were barely any closer to New Vegas. He let out an anguished groan and plopped himself down into the hot, coarse sand.

 

Boone stood and watched him for a moment, but when he realized the courier wasn’t getting back up any time soon, he sat down beside him. The sun wasn’t even at its highest anymore, but Rat still felt like he was dying of… Well, of something. He wasn’t a doctor. Maybe they’d find another doctor when they got to the strip, and they could tell Rat what that Benny fucker had messed up so badly in his brain.

 

\---

 

The courier awoke the next morning, sitting up with a long yawn and a stretch.

“Come on, time to go! Wake up Boone!”

 

The courier waved a hand in front of his sunglasses, and the sniper simply stared at Rat.

 

“I haven’t slept yet.”

 

Rat heaved a sigh and pointed back toward the way that they came from.

 

“Go back to Novac, I’ll come back later.”

 

Boone shrugged, fine by him. He tossed Rat a Sunset Sarsaparilla he’d been carrying and headed back the way they came. Rat half-smiled at ED-E, patted the side of his chassis, and made his way for the strip. The morning was always just so much more refreshing, Rat thought. Hey, he hadn’t used a big word like ‘refreshing’ in a long time! Maybe Rat didn’t need to see a doctor after all.

 

It was dark when he could finally, finally see the Vegas lights. It looked so damn beautiful, Rat could have shed a tear, if he weren’t hell-bent on vengeance. Rat stared in awe for a moment, before being broken out of reverie by his companion. ED-D chirped and whirred, shooting at something in the distance. Of course, it could never be so easy.

 

Rat crouched over his kill, ripping off the head ornament she wore, made of a skull. He hovered over her body for a moment before deciding he was hungry, and digging into the feast before him.

Soon after coming back to his senses, he ditched the snarling and frothing at the mouth for the much more dignified vomiting and violent dry heaving. Rat wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, flicked it to get rid of the blood, saliva, and other viscera, and started for the strip at a harsh pace. He needed a doctor. He definitely needed a doctor.

\---

Rat was very upset to find he wasn’t even allowed into the strip without a ton of money. He was broke, with only 312 caps to his name compared to the credit check of 2000 caps. He was starting to give up hope on getting into Vegas when the most he could scrounge up was 1502 caps, but then he saw a beautiful gleam of hope in the darkness - Mick and Ralph’s. Rat left with a smug smile, a passport, and a pocket 500 caps lighter.

\---

It wouldn’t be long now. Rat figured he’d find a place to stay for the night, and would head into Vegas the next morning. He wanted a bright and clear mind when he was killing Benny. He wanted to remember that moment. It would be wonderful, beautiful even!

Rat wandered around Freeside, feet aching and head pounding. Nowhere looked safe enough to rest, let alone sleep. It took him a while before he came upon the Old Mormon Fort, but the second he saw it, he knew where he’d be spending the night. He walked in through the front gate, and was greeted by the guards.

“Y’got an extra bed?”

“We got plenty. Go ahead.”

He and ED-E made their way to one of the tents, checking the first for any vacancies. Luckily, there was room for him. He climbed onto the mattress and laid on his side, drifting off to sleep easily. Rat slept better with people around. It helped to calm his nerves, knowing that if someone came and killed him in the night, he wouldn’t be the last one to know.

\---

The next morning, Rat sat up, fixed his hair, and got out of bed. He stood for a moment, surveying the beds. Most of them still had people sleeping in them, which didn’t particularly surprise Rat. He was a morning person, all the way. Rat pushed aside the tent flaps, stepping out into the warm morning sun. This was far preferable to the evening, which was stiflingly hot before cooling to temperatures that would freeze you in your tracks.

He stood there for a moment, eyes shut, before he decided he ought to eat. He sat on the ground a few feet to the left of the tent opening and dug in his bag, retrieving a pear, a bottle of water, and some iguana. ED-E beeped and whirred to get Rat’s attention, to which he responded with a gentle pat. He ate quietly as the camp began to stir. The sun shone down orange and Rat let the light bathe him. It felt better than water ever would, to him. Once he’d eaten the last chunk of iguana, he stood up, wiped his hands on his pants, and stretched. He bent over, with his back toward the camp and began to rummage through his pack, not even sure what he was looking for, really.

“Julie! There you are, Julie,” An exclamation came from behind Rat as he stood up. “My, you’re up early!”

Rat turned around, head cocked. He began to speak, but as soon as he saw the man that was speaking to him, he felt his heart leap into his throat. He was gorgeous. He had pale, wavy hair, like fine tendrils of spun gold. His face was soft and full, and Rat could admire a man who’d been fed. If his hair was gold, then his skin was porcelain, far paler than Rat’s own tan flesh. His eyes were like emeralds, shining bright behind thick-frame glasses. Rat couldn’t help but stare.

“Hello?” The man waved a hand in front of Rat’s face, snapping him back to reality.

“I’ll be your Julie.” He blurted it out before he even knew what he was saying and the other laughed.

God, his laugh. Rat was smitten.

“You and Julie have a very similar hairstyle, sorry about that. Loving the floppy warhawk, by the way.”

Rat blushed and attempted to stand his hair up, before realizing how much of an idiot he looked.

“Uh… What’s your name?”

“Arcade Gannon, nice to meet you…”

“Rat.” Rat grinned. Everyone always loved his name.

Arcade made a face. “ Rat? Who on Earth named you that?”

He deflated. That did not sound like Arcade loving his name. “My parents, maybe? I don’t really remember, on a count of I got shot in the head.”

“Bullshit. If you got shot in the head, you wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

Rat shrugged. “Are you a doctor?”

“Well, I’m more of a researcher, but sure.”

That was great news! “Do you know anythin’ about uh… Brain… stuff?”

“Brain stuff? I guess? What kind of brain stuff. Tumors, strokes…”

“Well, after I got shot, I been acting crazy. You should come with me, so you can watch after me and uh… Take notes ‘n’ shit! Whatever doctors do.”

“And why exactly would I come with you? No offense.”

Rat looked at his hands for a long moment. “Cause you’re real handsome and I think you could protect me good.”

That seemed to be good enough for Arcade, judging by the tint to his cheeks and the slight nod. “I think we could work something out. Let… Let me speak to Julie first, I’ll tell you what she says later.”

\---

Rat didn’t have to wait long before Arcade came back to him, and with good news too.

“Julie says I have my own free will, so I guess I’m coming along.”

Rat could almost cry, he was so happy. But it wasn’t time for crying, it was time for revenge. 

 


	2. image of rat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a pic of rat i drew so yall can have a mental image of the bitch. d.ucki.e is my art instagram's name so tht's why its signed like that uwu

 


	3. arcade's shitty holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rat tells benny to meet him in the pit

Damn, was Vegas gorgeous. Rat stared up at the lights, gape-mouthed and starry-eyed. It was more beautiful on the inside than from the outside, and getting in was cheap too! Rat didn’t mention that his passport was fake to Arcade, figuring he  _ probably _ wouldn’t like that. Arcade seemed like a pretty honest guy.

 

Rat walked down the strip at a leisurely pace, still overwhelmed by the bright lights and loud music, and the people dancing. That was Rat’s favorite part. It made him want to dance too, but he didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Arcade. He’d probably never live it down if he did that. A little ways up the road, a familiar face whirled around.

 

“Victor!” Rat rushed to the robot, beginning to ramble about his adventures since Novac, and his new friend, Arcade.

 

“Arcade, huh? Well, howdy there!” Victor’s smile did not change.

 

Arcade gave a wave and a nod, sauntering up beside Rat, who suddenly had a look of determination wash across his features. He nodded dutifully to Victor, and looked to Arcade.

 

It was then that Arcade realized how loud the strip was, considering he’d missed their entire conversation except the loud ‘howdy’ which’d been aimed at him.

 

“Come on!” Rat grabbed his wrist and drug him toward the Lucky 38, ED-E close behind them. 

 

“Why are we going over here? You know they don’t let anyone in, right…” Arcade trailed off as the doors opened slowly, and Rat wandered in. Now, that was something you didn’t see every day. 

 

\---

 

Rat walked out with a dumb grin plastered on his features, and grabbed Arcade by his wrist. The taller of the two stumbled for a second, before righting himself and trying to catch up with Rat’s quick steps. Arcade found it strange how…  _ happy  _ Rat looked. He was practically skipping up the steps to The Tops. 

 

“Uh… Why are we heading over here, again?”

 

“Oh, that’s easy! I have to kill the guy who shot me in the head.”

 

“Oh, alright then! We’ll just waltz right in there and- What do you mean the guy who  _ shot you in the head, _ ” Arcade cried incredulously.

 

“... I haven’t told you that story?”

 

Arcade shook his head and gesticulated wildly, “ _ No? _ ”

 

“Huh. Oops.” Rat shrugged.

 

“Well are you going to tell me..?”

 

The two found a suitable bench to sit on, and Rat began.

 

\---

 

_ Rat held the package tight against his body, the invoice tucked nicely inside his pocket. He’d taken extra care folding up the slip of paper - this job was worth double. _

 

Goodsprings seems nice, _ Rat thought to himself. The place was small and quiet at night, just the way Rat preferred. He wondered what it was like during daylight hours. He hated nighttime, the dark just made him feel tired and sluggish. But a job was a job, and a well paying job made trudging through the dark just a  _ little  _ more worth it.  _

 

_ What did  _ not  _ make the job worth it, however, was getting bashed over the head. Rat went down easily, package tumbling from his grasp.  _

 

_ When the courier woke up, there were squabbling voices and a warm flame beside him. Rat sat up, blinked slowly, and tried to rub his eyes. He was startled to find his hands bound together,  _ tight _. He started to struggle against his restraints, but his shuffling alerted the men in front of him. _

 

_ “There ya are, baby! Glad you’re finally awake.” _

 

\---

 

“Don’t remember much else. But he was in a checked suit, and I found ‘im.”

Arcade was confused to say the least. How on earth had this man- this dirty, stupid, feral man- survived a bullet to the brain? Arcade figured it somewhat rude to ask him, so he kept that thought to himself. 

 

“Well… I guess we just head on in, then?”

 

Rat nodded, standing abruptly. He fought the urge to let out a victorious shout, thoroughly excited to have finally found the dumb motherfucker who shot him.

 

Arcade followed suit, standing up alongside Rat, fixing his glasses. Rat glanced at him for a moment, grinned, and strutted up into The Tops casino.

 

\---

 

“What the fuck do you mean, Benny isn’t here?!”

 

“He’s not here, baby. Benny ran off, said there was someone after ‘im out on the strip.”

 

Rat pounded his fists on the counter, startling both Arcade and Swank. 

 

“Well where the fuck did the he go, huh,” Rat roared as he pulled Swank up by the collar of his button down.

 

“Lay off! He didn’t say where he was goin’, just that I was in charge!”

 

Rat let go of the man and wrung his hands.

 

“Goddammit,” he muttered angrily. Rat held his head in his hands, closing off the world so he could think for a moment. 

 

He grabbed Arcade’s wrist, dragging him out of the casino without another word. The heavy door swung open, nearly slamming into the man who’d been patiently waiting outside. The man didn’t jump, but Rat did. 

 

“You are looking for Benny, correct?”

 

“Uh… Who’s askin’?”

 

The man sighed heavily and adjusted his hat. Rat sniffed at the air, faint scent of cologne drifting from the man. Rat decided he liked it. He would have to ask the man where he got it from.

 

“A spy for the great Caesar. Here. We have the man you are searching for.” 

 

The man took Rat’s hand in his own and turned it over, then with his other hand, reached into his pocket and took out what looked to be a coin. He pressed it into Rat’s palm firmly, and gently closed his fingers around it. 

 

“This is Caesar’s mark. You will have safe passage to our camp if you wear it. Put it on, and do not remove it.”

 

Rat stared down at his hand as he left, uncurling his fingers from the object. He held a necklace with a strange pendant, a coin with an old man’s profile on it. Sweet. Rat slung the thing around his neck, then held the coin, turning it over a few times before releasing it.

 

The second the man was out of sight, Arcade released a breath that Rat didn’t even realize he’d been holding. 

 

“That was a legion spy. I guess House is just fine with him here?” A sigh. “...None of my business.”

 

“Spy… He’s familiar.”

 

\---

 

The trip from Cottonwood Cove up the river was rather peaceful. Or, it would be if Arcade wasn’t pressed tight into Rat’s side, practically quivering from… Anticipation? Fear? Rat figured some of both. He placed his hand at the small of Arcade’s back, rubbing what he hoped were soothing circles into his lab coat. Rat thought his lab coat made Arcade look pretty snappy, but right now he hated it. He also hated Arcade’s shirt, and his pants, and boots- Rat had to stop thinking about getting Arcade naked. At least while they were in Caesar’s camp. The second they left, Rat would permit himself to conjure up images of Arcade’s lithe body, stretched out and lanky beneath him- Rat really needed to stop before he gave himself a boner.

 

The camp smelled like shit. It was the first thing Rat noticed. It smelled like dog shit, and blood, and rot. How the hell did the man who delivered the Mark smell so nice..?

 

The second thing he noticed was the skeletons hanging from crosses. That was a little freaky. Rat didn’t particularly like the way what was left of their flesh hung dryly from their bones. Arcade stood next to him, staring up with horror barely masked by disgust. 

 

Rat grabbed hold of his hand, and smiled reassuringly up when Arcade turned to him. Arcade looked absolutely terrified. Rat was beginning to regret bringing him along. He didn’t have anything to protect them with, and he didn’t like it. He felt vulnerable, even beneath his heavy metal armor. He knew Arcade felt even more vulnerable from the way he stuck to Rat’s side as they walked up the hill. 

 

The stench of rot grew thicker as they reached the top, Rat having gotten used to it, and Arcade retching and reaching up to cover his mouth and nose.

 

“Are you sure about this?”

 

Rat looked at him with a determined face. 

 

“Of course.”

 

Arcade heaved a shaky sigh, and nodded. He could do this. 

 

\---

 

Arcade could  _ not _ do this. They wouldn’t let him stay with Rat. Caesar’s guard placed a large hand against Arcade’s chest.

 

“You must go in alone.” His speech was as firm as the hold on Arcade’s shirt. 

 

He didn’t dare move. Rat looked at Arcade with an apologetic expression, then went inside the tent. Arcade was alone with these- these _ monsters _ . Scared came nowhere close to describing how he felt. He stuck as close to ED-E as he could, but one of the guards gripped tight onto his forearm, disallowing him from moving. 

 

He couldn’t help but wonder if they could tell. Did the man crushing his wrist know he liked men? Arcade’s breathing picked up. Was that why he wouldn’t let go? Was he going to kill him? Was he going to die, here in the Legion’s camp, or was he going to be taken as a slave? Would Rat come back out of the tent alive? Were they going to kill him, too? Were they-

 

Arcade’s thoughts were interrupted by Rat walking out of the tent.

 

His breathing slowed back down. Rat was okay. He’d be okay too. 

 

\---

 

Caesar had given Rat a task, which Arcade tagged along for, hardly paying any attention. He just wanted to be done here and go home. He shot the things he needed to, and he stuck close to Rat, and he patched him up before they left the bunker. 

 

Rat left him outside the tent for another moment, only to tell Caesar he was finished. He expected it to take only a few minutes. What Arcade didn’t expect to see was Rat  coming out in full Legion gear, a machete clutched in his hand, and a short, chubby man following behind him, escorted by a legionary. 

 

They headed down to the arena. Arcade knew this wouldn’t end well. Both men were filed in, the man in the checked suit was handed a machete as well, and stood across from Rat. 

 

Arcade couldn’t watch. He covered his eyes and gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the loud whooping and hollering from onlookers. Rat screamed wildly, and Arcade’s hands flew away from his face. His eyes grew wide as he watched Rat slash the other man to bits, not stopping even after he was  _ very _ clearly dead. He covered his eyes again as Rat tore a chunk of flesh off the corpse with his bare hands. Holy shit.  _ Holy shit. _

 

\---

 

The two men filed back onto the raft. The ride back to Cottonwood Cove was almost more tense than the one from there.

 

The second they landed, Arcade flew onto dry land, waiting anxiously for Rat. The pair walked up the hill and away from the area, and the second they were out of earshot from the legionaries, Arcade exploded.

 

“What the  _ hell _ was  _ that _ ?!”

 

Rat cocked his head, dumbfounded. “What the hell was what?”

 

Arcade stood mouth agape, incredulous. “You  _ ate _ him!”

 

Rat’s face turned redder than a ripe tomato. “You weren’t supposed to know I do that…”

 

“And when were you going to tell me you ‘do that’?”

 

“Never, ideally. I didn’t use to do shit like that. It all started after I got shot…”

 

Arcade quirked an eyebrow.

 

“This… might take a while to explain.”

 

Arcade sat cross-legged on the ground.

 

“We have time.”


	4. goodmorning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> im sorry this took so long and im sorry its so short fjbjsdkfs
> 
> writer's block babey!!!

Arcade woke up slowly, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He blinked twice, before reaching for his glasses. They weren’t there. Arcade rubbed at his eyes again, wiping away the blur before sitting up and leaning over to search for them. Instead of finding Rat cooking himself and Arcade a meager breakfast, he found the smell of burnt hair wafting around him. Arcade’s breathing picked up.

 

He whipped around wildly, finding himself face to face with a decanus. Arcade tried to scream, but nothing would come out. He could feel his heart in his throat, which was constricted by the hard metal collar blinking around his neck. The decanus grabbed Arcade tight around the wrist, hauling him up to his feet. 

 

“Please, I-” Arcade was cut off by a harsh slap from the legionary, leaving his cheek pink and hot. His eyes watered and he choked back the tears. 

 

“Profligates such as you are not permitted to speak. Keep that mouth shut and we might not kill you today.”

 

Arcade whimpered. The decanus placed a hand on the back of his neck, pushing him toward Caesar’s tent.

 

He tried not to drag his feet, no matter how desperately he wanted to simply collapse to his knees and cry. Arcade knew if he tried to stall, he would be killed. He at the very least wanted a chance. 

 

The decanus threw Arcade to the ground in front of Caesar. How had they gotten there so fast? It didn’t matter. Arcade’s eyes welled up with hot tears as his head was jerked up by a tightly fisted hand. He blinked away the tears and gritted his teeth, and looked Caesar in the eye.

 

The decanus behind him let go of his hair and placed a foot between his shoulder blades, firmly pushing him down onto his hands and knees. Caesar laughed. Of course he did. 

 

“Your name is Arcade, correct?”

 

His eyes darted up to Caesar’s boots. Arcade nodded, choking out a, “Yes.”

 

“Good. You’re a doctor, aren’t you? Can you perform surgery?”

 

“I-I, I might be able to, with the right tools.”

 

Arcade squeezed his eyes shut tight before looking up. He was face to face with…

 

Rat?

 

Arcade shouted, startling Rat, who fell flat on his ass.

 

“Good morning!” Rat shouted.

 

Arcade heaved a sigh and rubbed his eyes. Everything was okay.


End file.
